How to Pack an Emergency Repair and First Aid Kit

Although summer is long gone, there’s still time for a couple of liberating road trips. Do you have all the essentials needed for an emergency situation on the road?

Here are a few items to pack so you’re covered in case something goes wrong:

Toolkit
Most bikes come with toolkits, but you’ll want to make sure you’re equipped with pliers, wire cutters, and various wrenches (including allen wrenches.) A small, all-in-one Leatherman®-style tool can be a handy complement to a traditional toolkit, and is easily accessible for quick repairs or adjustments.

Key Mechanical Spares & Lubes
Bringing along extra fuses, bulbs, spark plugs, and chain oil can make the difference between traveling securely and limping to the next service station.

Flashlight
Ever been caught in the dark? A flashlight will save you the hassle of trying to use your cell phone for illumination.

Tire Repair Kit
Blowouts are an all-too-common occurrence, and a flat kit which includes C02 cartridges for tire inflation will get you on the road again.

Duct Tape
If it’s good enough for astronauts, it should be good enough for you. Unexpected mechanical failures or breaks can sometimes be held together with duct tape, providing a low-tech solution for potentially crippling problems.

First Aid Kit
A first aid kit is something you never want to be without– whether its poison ivy or an ankle burn from an exhaust pipe, the cliché about an ounce of prevention is absolutely true. Rather than assembling your own supplies, an easier and more thorough solution is to purchase a pre-assembled kit, which will ensure that key items are not missing.

Consider this short list of items as insurance: hopefully you’ll never need to use them, but if you do, they will be worth their weight in gold.